Illegal street racing is a dangerous hobby that puts participants, spectators and innocent passers-by at risk. Which is what makes Sweden's Stockholm Open — held since 1982, run on public streets with thousands of spectators — all the more astonishing.

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Where most such races are little more than "Fast and the Furious" wannabees with big blocks and small brains, the Stockholm Open is a well-organized annual event, despite protestations from police. With no rules on what vehicles can be entered other than "run what you brüng," contenders generally need to have at least enough speed to polish a quarter-mile in roughly 9 seconds and most sports race slicks and more than 1,000 hp. Previous winners have snapped off runs of 7.96 seconds, facing off against more than 50 vehicles.

As in years past, fans at this year's event were scattered around 15 sites in Stockholm to help confuse authorities about the location of the actual races. The 32-car field was described by organizers as the "baddest and hardest starting field in many years," with the cup won by a blown Camaro in the pre-dawn finale, facing off against another Camaro. The winner received this massive trophy and bragging rights until next year's run.